<p>Rowing, which again I'm assuming is like fencing because of the D1 thing, is 2 hrs a day on weekdays, and either 2-3 hrs or competition on Saturday. We've got plenty of kids on the team doing all the other crazy MIT stuff as well (double majors, research, ect.)</p>
<p>There's a saying around here: "you can have good grades, your health and sleep, or a social life. Pick two." That's obviously an exaggeration, but it says it pretty elegantly: all MIT students are busy. A sport is just another time consuming thing. That being said, if you don't have something beside academics and research in your life you'll probably go insane, so almost everyone finds something to do- be it fencing or music or underwater basket weaving or whatever.</p>
<p>I was reading the MIT crew website and I see the hw w's crew coach just changed... Do you see this affecting recruiting for crew in the upcoming year? thanks.</p>
<p>The novice coaches for each team handle the recruitment, so the changes shouldn't be too drastic. WIth alumni pressure to improve the crew, a new coaching staff trying to attract more recruits and walkons to the sport, and stu</a> schmill taking over as head of admissions, this is pretty much the best time to apply as a rower. Even so, keep in mind that MIT doesn't go easy on your app like most other D1 programs.</p>
<p>Note that fencing is not D1 officially, but fencing as a whole in the NCAA is small enough that all the teams just fence each other regardless of division.</p>
<p>Time Commitment to Fencing: 2 hour practices each weekday which really translates into between 2.5-3 hours when you factor in transportation, showering, and changing time. When there's an upcoming event, practice is canceled. Practices in 2006-2007 started approximately September 20 and took a break after the first week of December. They resumed at the beginning of IAP and continued until mid March. There are about 7-8 events in the season, including meets, regionals, and other random events. These events tend to take up a whole day on the weekend, unless they involve going far away, in which case they take up several days.</p>
<p>That said, the coach is very understanding of having to miss practice for academic reasons. Like all sports at MIT, it's understood that academics are the first priority.</p>